Look at Me Now
by Ophelia's Rosemary
Summary: Strange old people in caves are generally to be avoided in the fairy-tales Sakura has grown up reading. But the offer of training from one old lady in a cave in the Land of the Waves not only makes Sakura throw caution to the wind, but teaches her that power comes to those who seize it. Strong!Sakura
1. The Old Lady in the Cave

Title: Look at Me Now

Rating: T, M eventually

Summary: Strange old people in caves are generally to be avoided in the fairy-tales Sakura has grown up reading. But the offer of training from one old lady in a cave in the Land of the Waves not only makes Sakura throw caution to the wind, but teaches her that power comes to those who seize it. Strong!Sakura

Words: 4,593

AN: Hello and welcome to my new story. I haven't written for Naruto for years but due to the excitement of Naruto being in it's final arc, I naturally felt drawn to writing a story for it. I started this story around chapter 671, so imagine my happiness when 673 gave us a hint that might make my story not as divergent as I thought it would be. Anyway, this is a Sakura-centric story but I will definitely focus on Team 7. As for pairings, time will tell. I'll usually add notes in the bottom of the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter I: The Lady in the Cave**

* * *

The forest behind Tazuna's house in the Land of Waves was for once filled with the noise of shinobi. The lone girl, Sakura, looked down at the two boys who had yet to come close to her level. Despite the praise her sensei had given her, the young ninja could sense he had done so to rile up her teammates. Pouting slightly, she stared down and panted. She'd run up the trees several times and now her chakra felt depleted, unlike Sasuke and Naruto who made no progress but were still going.

Sakura wasn't stupid; she knew one of the reasons she had good chakra control was because her lacking chakra reserves. Her tou-san had said himself when he attempted to drill the Academy basics into her. It wasn't like Haruno Kizashi had been mean about it, just lightly honest. Honesty was something the pink-haired chuunin respected, Sakura had come to learn from being raised by her parents. Both were shinobi, but her mother had practically retired to raise Sakura and Kizashi going on missions was pretty rare. And the truth was that Sakura was steadily slipping behind. Perhaps the boys hadn't noticed the gap these past few months (they were always busy squabbling) but Sakura had since the first day. Naruto had at least attempted to fight; Sakura was out from one genjutsu.

And on the road she could do little. Her first instinct was to protect Tazuna, of course, but there had been a very distinct awareness in the back of her mind that Zabuza could slice through her as if she was nothing. All she could do was watch the backs of Sasuke and Naruto as they pulled off teamwork and freed Kakakshi. The gap was wide and Sakura already wondered how she would breach it. Every time she asked her mother to help her train, the woman shrugged and changed the subject. It really left a girl to her own devices.

That's why when Naruto came up to her asking for help, Sakura smiled on the inside. At least in this she was ahead and on top. And if she could get them to keep coming back to her, her comrades, maybe the gap would close.

* * *

Sakura had never seen poverty before. The sight of it swelled uncomfortably in her stomach as she met the gazes of hungry faces. Dirty children played in ruined in streets that looked ruined. It wasn't that Konohagakure was free of the poor, Konoha had slums of course. She had ended up lost a couple of times in the Red Light district, a couple of connected alleys, during her life. But it never really hit you in the face, like here. She'd already given a couple of sweets to some rugrat who'd begged her for some.

"**And that brat better be thankful, we don't have much left!" **chimed her inner voice in her head.

Sakura couldn't have said no to him. The uncomfortable feeling rose up into her throat and made it harder to swallow. The old man had said that the bridge was to rekindle courage in the people, but what good was courage when there were empty stomachs?

She kept that question to herself as they went along the famous Wave mangroves to Tazuna's house. Along the way something caught her eye. In the distance, on the shore, she could see something glinting in a cave partially hidden by beach rocks. Curiosity piqued, she stared until she could make out something, no, someone. A figure of silver?

"Tazuna-san?"

"Yes, Haruno-chan?" the old man asked. He was kindly to her, despite the attitude he gave Naruto. Sakura thought it probably was because she was girl and thus more approachable.

"We're almost to your house now. Do you mind if I drop you off and go, umm, scouting?"

Tazuna shrugged.

"Makes no difference to me, as long as I get home in one piece. Don't stay out too long though, girl, my daughter's making dinner." Said the old man gruffly.

Sakura nodded and quickened the pace. Within two minutes they were at the house and Sakura set her bags down and burst off back to the shore.

"Where's she going?" asked Kakashi nonchantly.

"Said something about scouting."

* * *

Sakura crept towards the cave silently, in case enemy ninjas were hiding there and she had to run to Kakashi. For all she knew this could be where Zabuza and that mask kid where hiding, though it seemed slightly too open a hiding spot for that.

"I can tell you're there. Come in."

The voice of an old woman floated out from inside the cave and Sakura swung to get a look at the speaker. A woman with very long grey hair and a formal looking kimono stared back. She didn't look that old to be honest, just the hair and the voice, but she had a refined air to her anyway. There was a small fire in the cave beside the woman, who was resting on some cushions and a futon.

Sakura turned a little red. The lady didn't seem like a ninja and Sakura was probably disturbing her. She kicked her heel in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry Ma'am, I just saw something shiny and thought perhaps you were a ninja."

The woman had a very beautiful face, with pupil-less eyes. Sakura couldn't exactly tell what expression she was making but something in her gut said the old woman was sizing her up. So she was surprised when the lady raised her hand and gestured towards an empty cushion.

"It's alright, konouchi-san. But now that you are here, would you care to share some tea with this old woman? It is not often that I receive company."

Not wanting to be impolite, Sakura nodded and bowed to the woman before sitting on the cushion as properly as she could. The cave wasn't very pretty but the genin had a feeling that the lady was someone to be impressed, maybe just by how she spoke. For the first time she noticed that near the woman was a tea kettle with a tree painted on it, and beside that a mortar and pestle. The woman took a cup that matched the kettle and poured it for Sakura as the girl ran through the steps of traditionally tea ceremonies in her head. Things like this were taught in the academy, but Sakura had never thought she'd need them as a genin.

"Thank you." Said Sakura taking the cup with both hands and sipping. The woman simply observed her, neither smiling nor frowning.

"From where do you come from, child?"

The tea was hot and bitter and had a strange taste. Not unpleasant, thought Sakura. She set down the cup and pointed to her headband.

"Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni. I'm here on a mission with my team."

The woman drank her own tea, closing her own eyes for a second.

"Please call me Takehana. I am also a traveler to these islands with a mission of my own. Do you have a name child?"

"My name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

Takehana's eyes flew open and she eyed Sakura again. This time a shiver passed through the twelve-year old's frame as those shrewd and clear eyes looked her up and done. Sakura broke eye contact and drank her tea quickly, not sure what she should say the woman sizing her up.

"That is a powerful name, Sakura. Do take care of it; it speaks of many adventures ahead. But as a ninja, you already know of adventure, yes?"

Sakura shook her head.

"This is our first trip outside our village. And while something did happen earlier I don't know if it fits the mold of an adventure." Sakura paused to drink some more tea before adding quietly. "I'm lucky to be alive."

Somehow Sakura found herself loosening up with every sip of the tea. If she had been better trained she would have been very wary of the strange woman and her tea, but instead she just got more comfortable as Takehana kept asking her questions.

"Every fight is a lesson. You should say thanks that you have another day to learn from your battles. It is rare that one lives long in your profession, Sakura-san. Only the strong shine."

Once more the words spilled out of Sakura, truths she didn't feel ready to tell anyone yet but yet shared with this woman.

"I know that. But it is hard, especially when you only see the backs of your comrades." Sakura shrunk in on herself for a moment before noticing that Takehana had refilled her cup of tea. She could tell that the sun was setting outside, leaving a soft red light in the cave.

"Sakura-san, what does one do if one has the will to get ahead but not power?"

Feeling that this was a rhetorical question, Sakura just continued drinking the tea in silence, unsure of the answer herself.

"You pluck it. By force if needed be." For the first time since Sakura entered the cave, a smile entered the woman's face. It did not illuminate her features, rather just made Sakura's spine feel cold. The tea was so soothing but underneath that calming atmosphere were Sakura's instincts to leave. The woman looked harmless, just like a lost noblewoman, but why did Sakura feel so uncomfortable?

Takehana looked deep in thought.

"You see, Sakura-san, I came to this land because somehow I thought my grandsons were here. But as of yet I have not come across them. But it seems that our paths were fated to meet."

"Huh?" asked Sakura, quite confused.

"You seem to be in need of guidance and polishing. And I seem to be in need of companionship. So, young one, how about you make a deal with me? You visit me daily as your mission allows and I teach you something that might help you fight a few more battles."

That uncomfortable feeling was back and stronger. In the last minutes of sunset Takehana seemed to look almost ethereal, and the shadows on her regal-looking face started to look menacing. The fire crackled for a couple of seconds before the woman extended a hand to the young girl. Unlike her other features Takehana's nails were long and wild-looking and Sakura reluctantly took the hand and shook it.

'What harm could come from this,' thought Sakura, even though every hair on her skin was up in dread. 'She just seems lonely and if I learn something cool I could show up Naruto and Sasuke-kun!'

Sakura swore she saw a glint of fangs as the woman smiled widely.

"Then it is settled. Come tomorrow and I'll show you something."

Sakura took this as a cue for her to leave, wondering how her tea cup managed to get to Takehana's side so quickly.

"Thank you for the tea, Takehana-san." Sakura bowed before freezing after remembering something. She took a leftover wrapped sweet from her pocket, handing it to the woman. The woman palmed it, staring at it as if unsure what do with it.

"It's a sweet I had left over, from Konoha."

Takehana nodded, leaving it on her lap.

Waving goodbye, Sakura exited the cave and headed for Tazuna's house, wondering if she should mention Takehana to Kakashi-sensei. Those same instincts told her to approach him about her but Sakura just decided to keep to herself during dinner. Takehana was her secret, after all.

* * *

Takehana met her outside the cave the next day after Sakura finished with her bridge watching duties. She noticed how awfully tall, especially for an old woman, Takehana was. Her kimono was layered and looked very well-embroidered, hiding her figure well.

"You must forgive me, Sakura-san, but I will say I cannot teach you very concrete jutsu as you shinobi like to call them."

Well that ruled out Takehana as being a shinobi. But she didn't seem like a civilian either. Nevertheless, Sakura straightened her back to show she was paying attention.

Takehana paced around the girl, looking her up and down.

"You are able to walk on water, yes?"

Sakura shook her head. She had seen Zabuza and Kakashi walk on water, but she had no idea how they did so. She could hear Takehana suck her teeth.

"But you are able to walk on trees, yes?"

"Yes! I'm actually the one who managed to do that in one try." A hint of pride could be heard in Sakura's voice. The noblewoman nodded and pointed to the water outside the cave. As Sakura reached the edge, Takehana started explaining.

"It is a similar process to that but unlike the tree, which is steady and unyielding, the water flows and crashes. Temperature matters as well, but we will work with the cold waves of this land. I trust you can swim if something happens."

Sakura nodded and took a step. She lifted her foot and focused her chakra into the balls of her feet, imagining some flat surface made of chakra and then repelled the water with it. She let out a gasp as she saw that her foot met not water but something solid. A minute later Sakura was about several feet from the beach. She turned around to grin at the old woman.

"Yeah! I did it!" Sakura let out, before remembering her inside voice and covering her mouth. She gave a sheepish smile towards Takehana, who nodded. Suddenly Sakura felt her control slipping as a large wave crashed into her back. She fell into the water and swam back to shore, her earlier elation now replaced with irritation. How was she going to explain wet clothes to the others? She took Takehana's hand and pulled herself up, huffing as she squeezed her hair of water.

Takehana poked her head and pointed to ships not far from them.

"This island is under a blockade. Which means that crossing sea to get to Fire is dangerous. However, I have a mission for you. Practice around the shoreline until you can run across water. When that happens, whether today or not, I want you to make yourself as inconspicuous as possible before running across to get to the other shore and retrieving some items." She handed the pink-haired nin a small scroll.

"Those items will come in handy in our other training."

Sakura frowned, looking inside. The names of plants and their descriptions were written in very neat kanji. Takehana took the scroll back and waved her hand to show that Sakura should continue.

Being early May, the days were getting much longer and warmer, especially in the warm Land of Waves. By the last few lights of sunlight, Sakura could zip around the shoreline, and she figured out a trick to getting herself steady during incoming waves. If the waves were small, she'd steady her feet with just a tiny bit of chakra. If it was a wave of several feet, she'd pour chakra into knees as well and her lower legs would then repel the water away from her.

Naturally this took out most of her chakra, so a damp Sakura tiredly walked back to the cave. Takehana was drinking tea again, looking up after a minute.

"I trust you will be able to run across to the other side tomorrow."

Sakura nodded reluctantly. The shore of the land of fire would only be fifteen minutes away if she ran, however she felt uncomfortable at the idea of running and being caught by Gatou's men. She decided to not voice these fears to Takehana, mainly because as a ninja she should be able to deal with being captured. She hoped.

If Takehana noticed the seeds of doubt on Sakura's face, she didn't mention it, just gesturing to another cup full of tea. Sakura noticed the smell was different this time and that the mortar and pestle had been recently used.

"It's a brew I made to help regain strength. You should drink it before you collapse, Sakura-san."

Sakura smelled it curiously before drinking it. The taste was bitterer than yesterday, but with a sweet aftertaste. After a couple of sips she felt a little more alert than before in regards to her chakra.

"Takehana-san? Does this replenish chakra?"

"Ah, you've noticed. Only a little. My teas are quite special."

Sakura looked into Takehana's clear eyes, once more noting how the woman felt dangerous. Though from their training, the young genin felt that the woman didn't wish to harm her and, unlike Kakashi-sensei, actually gave her personal training. By the time she finished her cup, Sakura felt some of her chakra return and her body felt less store.

"That's why I am going to teach you some of my mixtures."

Sakura felt herself sweatdrop. Teach her to make teas?

'**We don't have time for things like that. I wanna kick some ass!'**

'_Be quiet Inner.'_

"Ah, but my brews are special, as I have said. Imagine if you are out of chakra, nearing exhaustion, and need to get out of a tricky situation. A few sips from a flask of the tea you have just drank and you'll be back on your feet in no time. Don't underestimate non-traditional shinobi arts, Sakura-san. I could show you how to make balms that will heal scars, undetectable poisons that can take out an enemy camp. In fact, that's why I need those herbs."

Sakura opened her mouth in awe.

"Those plants…they can do that? And you're going to teach me that?"

Sakura never really considered following into poisons, or medical jutsu. Though she knew had the control for it, iryojutsu always seemed too complicated, too much of a support. The medic-nin she'd encountered in her life were almost certainly confined to the hospital. Combat medics were rare. Sakura, with the little thought she'd ever put into her future as a konouchi, wasn't sure what her exact career path.

Takehana had begun pouring the tea into a bottle. The character for "bamboo" was stamped on it. She wordlessly handed the bottle and scroll to Sakura.

"I will if you'll learn, child. Make sure to eat and rest up for your task tomorrow, Sakura-san. You'll need your head if you want to get through the blockade unnoticed."

"Hai, Takehana-san."

* * *

"Why do you guys have to make even _eating_ a competition?" Sakura yelled at her retching teammates, who kept asking for more food.

"Must..train." said Sasuke in between large bites of food.

"Must beat Teme." answered Naruto, though seeing him eat with such great gusto and absolute lack of manners was less surprising than watching Sasuke eat.

'These two idiots!' huffed Inner.

'Yeah,' thought Sakura. 'But they're my idiot teammates.'

"Ah, Tsunami-san? May I please have another portion?" asked Sakura, raising her bowl. Kakakshi stared at her with an amused expression.

* * *

After Naruto stormed off to go train, with Sasuke following close behind, Sakura looked intently at Kakashi. After hearing the story about Kaiza that Tazuna had told, her doubts about being able to make it to the shore she looked at her empty plate she wondered if there was something she could do to conceal herself. Her dress and hair were not the best things for a misty-

"That's it!" squeaked Sakura out loud before clamping a hand to her mouth in embarrassment.

'_He had his Sharingan on, right? That means he could have copied that Mist technique and that means he can teach it to us, well, me. I can use that to hide myself as I go across the water.'_

Kakashi looked up from his porn.

"What is it, Sakura?"

"Oh..umm. Hey Kakashi-sensei, you think you can teach me a technique? You know, since I'm beyond tree-walking." Kakashi closed his book in thought, looking at her. Sakura widened her eyes a little, to help the descision along.

'**Ha, no one can resist Sakura's Wide Green Eyes of Adorable!'**

"Maa, of course. Le-"

"Ah, so you'll show me the Hidden Mist Technique, right, Sensei?" Sakura grinned at her teacher whose lone eye looked a little exasperated. He stood up, firmly walking on his crutches and motioned for her to follow him. It was dark already and the sounds of Sasuke and Naruto doing night training could be heard in the distance as they reached a small creek near Tazuna's house.

"Now, tell me, Sakura-chan, why do you want to learn something like this?"

"Well, you see, Sensei, during the fight I noticed how well the mist hid Zabuza and how useful it would be to remain undetected. So I thought that perhaps if I learn it I can have the element of surprise on my side or I can hide in places with water." Which was true, per se. Sakura wasn't lying about how useful or what she would be using the technique for. She looked in to Kakashi's eyes to see if he bought it.

"Alright. That's some good uses for the technique. I have a few more you might be interested in. You see, it's lucky that Zabuza hadn't gone up against a Sharingan-user before because otherwise he would have seen that my eye doesn't do well against his mist. Do you know why that is?"

Sakura tapped her foot and thought back. That was the first technique the Mist-nin had used. There was an incredible amount of chakra around him and then the chakra turned into mist, dispersing killing intent all around them.

"I've got it. It's because your Sharingan can generally only follow chakra and since the mist is the user's chakra, you can't distinguish the user from the outward chakra."

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled upwards.

"That's why you're the top-ranked Konouchi in your class. Yep. Though other doujutsu like the Byakugan would be able to spot him. But as you can see, it is a very deadly technique." He adjusted his crutch and made a seal with his hands.

"The only seal is the tiger seal, so hand seal-wise, it is not difficult. The difficulty you'll have is getting it to work. Now, since you're the brainy-type, I'll explain the concept behind this technique so you know how to use it. Ever heard of Chakra transformation?"

Sakura shook her head.

"When breaking down techniques, there are two processes to creating them. One is chakra shaping and the other is Nature Transformation. Usually when combining the two you can create your own jutsu. Luckily Kirigakure no Jutsu works without Nature transformations if you have water, or else I wouldn't be able to teach you that technique."

'_I've got to look up Nature Transformations when I get home.' _

Sakura stored the information for later. She knew that ninjutsu of higher levels generally followed an elemental release; but she didn't exactly know the theory behind it. Considering the fact mist came from water, she could guess that the Hidden Mist jutsu was a Suiton or Water Release. But Kakashi had said she wouldn't need an understanding of the elements to perform the jutsu. She looked into her sensei's eye quizzically.

"Let's see if your chakra control is good enough for this. Release some."

She made the tiger seal and let out good portion of the chakra she had left. The familiar feeling of her own chakra surrounded her as she opened her eyes again to look at her sensei. Even in crutches he looked so cool, so laid back. He lazily pointed to the water and Sakura began trying to move her chakra to the water. She focused on a image in her mind of carrying the water with her chakra and within a couple of seconds she could feel water whirling around her with her chakra. Smirking at being able to do this so quick she focused on making the chakra-laced water mist around her. Her teacher's surprised eye was the last thing she saw before the mist obstructed her view of him.

"Sakura, try spreading it out."

It took several minutes to do so. Though she didn't need to add chakra to the mist, she instantly knew how much the jutsu needed; spreading her chakra out took more focus than drawing up the chakra from her admittedly small pool of it. By the time she got the thin layer of mist to spread around her a little more her head was aching.

Kakashi clapped his hands together twice, though the sound sounded as blank as his expression. Sakura dispersed the jutsu, rubbing her head from the headache it left her.

"Focusing that much was hard, huh?"

Sakura nodded. She could wasn't sure how many more she could do of those without falling to mental exhaustion. Especially since she was supposed to try and attempt it tomorrow along with running across a large body of water. She hid the urge to yawn and looked at her sensei again.

"Okay, let's try it a couple of times, hopefully your have enough chakra to manage it more." And then he went off to sit on a large log, his crutch resting while absentmindedly flipped through Icha Icha. Sakura's aptitude was pretty surprising. From the stats he received from Iruka he knew of her chakra control being exceptionally well. Exceptionally good chakra control was generally the sign of below average or untapped reserves, though sometimes it came naturally.

It wasn't her prowess with the technique that gave Kakashi pause; it was that she actually asked for help. Generally gennin who passed the exam are self-sufficient to some extent. Many are clan brats and have their families' techniques to help them out. Naruto was an example of a non-ninja raised conscript. More peculiarly, Sakura was raised into a family of ninjas who didn't seem like wanting to train her. Kakashi only briefly knew Kizashi and Mebuki, they were of Minato-sensei's generation. Kizashi was a chunin and he couldn't really remember anything remarkable about the man's skills. And as for Mebuki, well, she retired.

"Hai, sensei." Her cheery but strained voice rang out as she tried the Mist technique a couple of times. Occasionally she would sneak a peek at her reading sensei, looking for some reaction. After an hour her chakra was near depleted and Sakura could feel the edges of chakra exhaustion. But that effort had been rewarded with a less concentrated mist, one that was a little more spread out and could cover her actions as well as the surrounding area. It was far from perfect and Sakura had no idea how she would keep it up and make her way across the water.

"You look pretty done for tonight. We should get home before you pass out."

Sakura nodded and stretched herself. Kakashi was already en route back to house on his crutches and she walked behind him. Something about this trip was dong her good. Maybe it was the unexpected train from both a stranger and her actual sensei, but Sakura could feel content about her actions that day. It wasn't a normal feeling, coming home to rest knowing you have accomplished something, but it was than Sakura thought to be one she likes.

Right before she was to enter the room she got to herself (she couldn't share with Naruto or Sasuke), her two teammates came back in from after dinner training. The two parts of Team 7 looked at each other, noting how exhausted each other member looked and nodded in acknowledgement of each other for that day's work. Sakura fell asleep to the image of approving glances from her teacher and teammates and a content feeling in her chest.

* * *

**Author's Notes Part 2:**

That seemed like a nice ending for the chapter. The next one is longer. I did want to say a few notes about Takehana. She's a very difficult character to understand, mainly because her role in this story isn't going so outward. By the end of the Wave Arc, we will not see her for a long, long time. So please don't worry about this being an OC-dominated story. That's assuming Takehana is an OC. -wink-

I'm a huge fan of Narutopedia, so much of the information use to make this story comes from Narutopedia. As many of you may have noticed, Sakura in this story is highly observant. This is natural, while the databooks don't seem to be extremely reliant, I'll be using their stats and according to Databook no.1, Sakura is the most intelligent of Team 7, especially in the beginning. Even in the first half of Shippuden, she beats Sasuke by half a point (out of five). I'm using that to make her a ninja would find joy in breaking down the theory of chakra, something very important to this story. however, Sakura is naturally at this point a by the book ninja, and not as resourceful, mostly because she isn't being challenged directly. But Takehana's influence changes that and quickly. All of Team 7 will adaptable.

Her parents will also play a large role in this story. Canon!Sakura's parents are a bit of mystery, apparently her dad is a Chunin, possibly retired which is why he's home from the war. That or anime just decided to give Mebuki Haruno a line of bullshit that Kishimoto might contradict (her parents are canon though, as says Kishimoto). Mebuki looks beast enough to be a Konouchi (and is one according to Narutopedia) and will play a large part in this story due to me loving the fighting between Sakura and her mom in the movie, and the fact that_ Kishimoto said she's former delinquent (Yanki) type of woman._ Sakura comes from a line of boss-ass bitches. Also that and the question of why two supposed ninjas, even unskilled ones as the Harunos, let their daughter basically become a ninja without any skills but academy basics is perplexing. So that will be answered in this story.

Before I leave you to the jutsu notes, I will say this: Sakura will be much stronger than her canon counterpart. Why? Because when your teammates are destined, and spoiler alert, reincarnated to win the superpower lotto, you have to have something to tip the balance. But that something is what this story is about. If you can spot it this quick, you'll get a cookie.

_Kirigakure no Jutsu_ - Hiding in the Mist technique. A technique that causes mist to disperse and conceals the user. Drawbacks are the fact it's pretty damn hard to see in it unless you have Byakugan. However it screws up Sharingans and Rinnegans because those Doujutsu (Eye Techniques) are so finally attuned to chakra they can see it and having a shit load of chakra-mist around is probably sensory overload. (Info from Narutopedia)

**See you next time folks! Please give me your opinions! Hell flames as well, but hopefully the flames that deconstruct my story and give me a play-by-play of my mistakes.**


	2. The Lady's Mission

Title: Look at Me Now

Rating: T, M eventually

Summary: Strange old people in caves are generally to be avoided in the fairy-tales Sakura has grown up reading. But the offer of training from one old lady in a cave in the Land of the Waves not only makes Sakura throw caution to the wind, but teaches her that power comes to those who seize it. Strong!Sakura

Chapter 2 Word Length: 5,428

AN: Hello! Well this is the next chapter. I thought it was getting too long so I decided to cut it a little, so Chapter 3 is basically half-written and you can expect the next chapter in the next week or so. This chapter is a little heavy on the plot so I suggest being careful with reading it. I will say that a bit of Takehana's agenda will be shown in this chapter. I would like to thank those who reviewed, followed, and favorite. I'm glad this story is liked. As always, I'll add more notes on the bottom, but before I leave you to the story, I would like recommend a few songs for this chapter.

For the scene between Sakura and Sasuke, **"Come a Little Closer" **by Ambassadeurs. Any infiltration scene is **"Nightshift" **by Force of Nature. Two other songs that just go with the feeling for this chapter are **"Peace of Youth" **by Ambassadeurs and **"Night 10" **by Ta-Ku, off his "25 Nights for Nujabes" album (which is writing fuel and a must for any fans of Nujabes/Samurai Champloo)

* * *

**Chapter II: The Lady's Mission**

* * *

Sakura figured out a little way to cheat. Tucking the instruction scroll in a pocket attached to her leggings, she looked over the edge of the bridge. Even on the third day of training nothing had really happened, if Zabuza was alive he was definitely recuperating somewhere. That relieved her. As the only able-bodied member of Team 7 who wasn't currently stuck on climbing some tree, Tazuna's fate was in her hands. And Sakura knew that wasn't good chances for the bridge builder.

Said bridge builder gave her a glance as the ninja looked straight down.

"You know you might fall, don'tcha?"

Sakura gave him a simple smile.

"I'm a capable ninja. I'm just checking for enemy-nin." Lies, but he didn't know that. She hopped back to the stable parts of the bridge and looked over to the other side. The bridge was only half-completed. This gave her a serious advantage. Tree-walking and stone walking were easier due to the consistency of the material. If she merely walked down the side of the pier holding the furthest part of the bridge she'd be able to cut her water-walking distance considerably.

It wasn't exactly what Takehana probably had in mind but that was the way of the ninja. Think underneath the underneath and all that.

The other thing that was working in Sakura's favor was that it was very misty today. So much that she feared assassins from Gato but the day had progressed without any incident of course.

"Hey, kunoichi, I'm ready to go home."

Soon Sakura was back on the bridge, looking down. Breathing deeply she applied chakra to her feet as she stood on uncovered iron bar and held out her hand arms for balance. She hopped down several bars as she had seen ninja do in the village with tree branches and eventually found herself balancing on the water. Sakura clasped her hands in the Tiger seal.

"_Kirigakure no Jutsu_!"

A subtle layer of mist to complement the environment wafted around her. Surprisingly her water-walking had not suffered from this. Sakura took a deep breath and sped off. Her feet barely touched the water but she knew she was getting closer. As she ran she put more effort into each step to propel her further and ending basically sliding her feet along the water, as if she was skating. Sakura put this discovery out of her mind for now as she focused on getting out of water. If she felt that the mist around her was too thin she would push a small amount of chakra to grab the mist around her to better shroud her path.

Her foot met ground.

Ecstatic, Sakura looked back at the Land of the Waves, completely shrouded in Mist.

'**Yeah! We did it!' chanted Inner.**

Sakura just gave the air an elated punch for getting this far and took the scroll out.

"Okay, let's start with the barks."

* * *

"Got it! Looks like the _machin_ is done." Sakura murmured to herself as she cut down the last of the fruit she needed.

It didn't look like Sakura would make it back to Tazuna's in time for dinner. Hopefully Kakashi wasn't too worried. The last of the plant matter the woman in the cave asked her to get was in her little satchel and so Sakura sped off, this time skating across the water without bothering to make a Kirigakure no Jutsu until she got closer to the bridge.

She all but skipped in the cave, smiling and dispelling the technique. Takehana cocked her head at the technique.

"Just learned it." Sakura grinned, setting down her satchel. It was dark and cold out, but Takehana was roasting something in the cave. Sakura looked down at the roasting rabbit with hungry eyes, which was noticed by the other woman.

"Please join me for a meal."

Sakura bowed and took her seat on one of the cushions. Strangely enough, Takehana passed her a paper plate and piled on a rice cake she hadn't even noticed. The woman's features were softened by the dull fire.

"I trust you were successful."

"Yes Takehana-san. I got across the water and covered myself with a technique I learned from my sensei. Gathering what you asked was easy once I got there."

Takehana was silent as she took the rabbit off the fire, taking a pretty but old-looking kaiken from her kimono sleeve. Sakura's eyes sparkled at the knife; generally noblewomen hid those in their kimonos. Deadly and pretty, kaiken were a form of tanto that were very good for self-defense, close-range killing, and from what she heard of stories, suicide. Takehana noticed her looks at the knife and turned so Sakura could see it.

"Family heirloom."

"Ah."

It was on the tip of Sakura's tongue to ask the woman where her family was and whether she found her grandsons, or why she staying in a cave when her kimono looked nice enough to buy the Land of the Waves but something told her that Takehana wouldn't take nicely to any of those questions, or at least not yet. Careful examination of her cutting the rabbit into pieces told Sakura that whatever her origin, Takehana had used that kaiken often.

Quickly muttering an itadakimasu, Sakura dug into the rice cakes and rabbit, feeling very hungry after the mission she just completed. Takehana merely took small bites of her food before clapping her hands on her lap to get her dinner companion's attention. Sakura looked up immediately.

"Sakura, what do I intend to teach you with the things you collected?"

Sakura stopped eating for a second before reciting with perfect memory.

"Well I got willow bark, so something to take care of headaches and fevers. You had me get _machin_ and _torikabuto_ because those are commonly found deadly poisons-"

"You'll be specifically using the Machin." Takehana cut her off.

Sakura looked a little perplexed. Machin was a poison but sometimes used in medicine. But it was quite deadly, first appearing to give the victim constipation and then the runs. Three hours later the machin would cause severe muscle convulsions and eventually cause foaming at the mouth as the person asphyxiated. A nasty, dramatic death. Not that subtle but because Machin was found so readily in these parts, easy to get, and to make.

"I will teach you how to brew these two poisons and some relievers. Perhaps an antidote, though I feel you should learn how to make those on your own. But before I do so, I must ask you, how much are you willing to do?"

Sakura blinked.

"Well," Sakura began, "I already said I'm going to learn what you wish to teach me, so please be sure that I'll do what yo-"

"Sakura," Takehana cut her off. "You're going to need to kill a man for me."

Sakura's eyes widened. She wasn't sure what to answer the woman with. Inside Sakura was a girl who wanted to be noticed, to be seen as having potential. That little girl sent looks at Sasuke, felt devastated when her parents refused to train or talk about Shinobi life with her, and felt ecstasy when Kakashi ruffled her hair in praise. That girl was what Sakura had thought of when she accepted the strange woman's training.

But killing? She was a ninja, but killing someone had been so far from her mind when she accepted this woman's training, when she put her forehead protector on, too. Killing someone seemed distant, a problem that Sakura would never deal with. There was a night a couple of weeks after she graduated where her Mother, of all people, had tried to sit down with her and explain to her the perils of being a kunoichi but Sakura just took as her mother nagging her about quitting again (they were often fighting anyway).

It was no surprise how frightened she had felt when they encountered the ninja, first the two with the chain and then Zabuza. Her first instinct, besides running away, was to protect the charge, that much had been drilled into her by the Academy. But she had been so aware of her mortality at the moment, just the feeling of that battle made her breath hitch. Ninja were to kill or be killed, but Sakura felt so strange about claiming a life, especially since it wasn't ordered.

"You haven't killed before."

It wasn't a question and Sakura did not look up from her food.

"I am not here to reassure you that killing will be easy or that it will be hard. But sometimes lives need to be taken. Rest assured the man I want to kill is not an ally of yours. It will be done covertly and in a way none of your team will get suspicious. And by killing this person, you might be saving many lives, including that of your teammates'."

Sakura's head snapped to look at Takehana in shock. Did she mean Zabuza?

"Who are you talking about?"

Takehana stared out of the cave and at a ship in the distance. She pointed to it.

"The man responsible for the blockade and the continued suffering of this land. Our target is there. We have three days until we strike, though you shall being doing the work. His defense is made up of criminals with little skill, except two waylaid shinobi who his despicable presence alienates. You will sneak on board and poison him with machin, killing him in a way that will be written off as a business competitor killing or perhaps the work of two disgruntled nukenin. Then the ports will open, allowing the people of this land to rebuild their villages and their lives."

Sakura's mouth was left open. Gato. This old woman wanted her to infiltrate a ship and kill one of the wealthiest people in the world. Her. Not Sasuke, not Kakashi-sensei, not anyone who was a capable ninja. Her, weak Sakura Haruno, a rookie ninja whose only accomplishments were being good on paper.

"Takehana-san, I think you're putting the hopes on the wrong shino-"

"Do not speak!"

As if controlled, Sakura's mouth clamped up.

"I decided to train because you acknowledged you were lacking. Because you had the desire to be better. Those who want power need merely seek it and will be granted. Those who doubt and do not bother remain where they are for the rest of their lives. Gato is vile and long overdue for such a fate. The only question that remains is whether you are going to play a hand in it."

Sakura didn't speak. There, as she suspected before, was something downright frightening about this old woman. Even her wizened voice sounded ethereal when she was angry. The fire which had softened features now illuminated a frightening shadow on the wall and glinted off sharp nails. Even more frightening was the zeal with which the woman had spoken of power. It was wistful, as if she was telling tales of her past. Sakura wasn't sure how describe the look in the woman's eyes which were now boring holes into her skin with their stare.

"Well, girl? Will you?"

Sakura looked down at her hands and remembered the face of the child that asked her for candy. She remembered the look on Tsunami's face as Tazuna described Kaiza's execution, her husband. The fear that man who quit his job on the bridge had in his eyes. Gato was a terrible man. But was she ready to do something like kill a man?

'**You're forgetting that he's gonna try to get you killed too, along with Sasuke-kun, Naruto, and Kakashi.'**

Sakura didn't always want to agree with her inner voice. But this is one of the few times where there was sound agreement. She was a ninja of the Leaf and this is what her mother had tried to explain to her when she had been too foolish to listen. As frightening as her temporary teacher was, at least Takehana was offering her a chance to do this. Kakashi, she sadly realized, would never allow his students to take care of this problem as easily the old woman wanted to. Maybe if Gato died soon enough, a fight could be avoided between Zabuza and her team.

Her fists tightened. A ninja must never show emotions but why did she want to cry?

"I'll do it. But I won't kill anyone else if I can help it."

The teeth in Takehana's mouth looked too sharp as she smiled and told Sakura her tasks to dwell upon at home.

* * *

"Where were you? You missed dinner."

Sakura sighed at her sensei sleepily. For someone so aloof he sure was interested in what she was doing. The urge to tell him about Takehana was there, but somehow the words felt thick in her mouth. So she shrugged her shoulders and told him she was practicing a new technique.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to perform it.

"I'm too tired sensei."

"Maa, maa, I'm sure you can do it."

Sakura sighed again before walking back to the creek she had train on yesterday. This time she walked on the water, noting how Kakashi closed his book in shock. Pushing her foot in the same motion she had done earlier that day, she basically skated around the creek, even spinning just for kicks, as she would on ice. After a few minutes of showing it off, she hopped back on land and patted her sore legs.

"Sakura?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Remind me to teach your nature transformation once we get back. Don't take no for an answer either."

'_Yes, sensei.'_ She thought. '_I won't._'

* * *

Sakura got up early the next morning, leaving a note for Kakashi and Tazuna that she was going to be practicing her techniques in various parts of the island. Takehana had told that she didn't need to be combat-skilled for this mission, just figure out how to disguise herself properly and train in stealth. All that took was a simple _Henge_. For around thirty minutes Sakura disguised herself as an old man beggar, unnoticed by most.

Takehana told her to meet her after her job was done in the village, but for now Sakura practiced. Eventually she moved her old man body to a part of the closed of docks where Tazuna had pointed out Gato's henchmen. Stumbling on the place gave her an idea, though a dangerous one. She'd already learned how to gather intelligence from some D-rank missions so this wasn't that far out from her league.

'Doesn't mean I can't wish this didn't smell so bad.' Thought Sakura as her disguised hands ruffled through a stinking rubbish heap of rotten fish and broken bottles. As expected, the two rough-looking guys nearby didn't pay the old homeless man any attention and just continued loudly arguing.

"No, I'm telling you, it was definitely one of those ninja Gato hired. The smaller one with the mask." Sakura almost gasped from that. So the hunter-nin who took down Zabuza _was _working with him. That meant Zabuza was alive!

"Nonsense, why would they break Gato's wrist? He hired them."

"You can't tell with rogue ninja-types, idiot. Especially the one with the sword. I heard he tried to kill his own leader before leaving."

"Well, shit. I hope Gato gets rid of 'em soon, shinobi give me the creeps." The man who said this looked around as if a shinobi might pop up behind him. Sakura resisted the urge to smirk. There should be a ninja rule stating underlings are freaking stupid somewhere. She made herself release a few pained groans, the sound of not finding anything interesting in the rubbish, catching the attention of the guards.

"Hey, old man, get the fuck outta here!" The man who said this had a huge bat with pointy things sticking out of it. He swung it threateningly at the homeless man and Sakura hobbled away the best she could from the area. Really, while she was glad that she avoided the pointy things, the urge to go back there and laugh at how dumb they were was too strong.

She dropped the henge after a few good minutes and patted herself for a job well done. Good intelligence she could share with both Takehana and Kakashi, intelligence that she had gotten using Academy-level techniques. She washed her hands before coming, congratulating herself on getting there before Tazuna.

* * *

She didn't go to Takehana's straight away, instead deciding to clue Kakashi in first. Even though he was pointedly ignoring her in favor of reading his book.

'**Asshole! I've been trying to talk to him for two minutes! Just punch him; he can't dodge it while he's injured.'**

Sakura didn't think punching him in the face was one of the acceptable interactions between teacher and student outside of spars. So she resorted to poking him in the shoulder.

"Kakashi-sensei, I have something reeeeeaaaally important to tell youuuuuu." She whined.

"Is it more important than Junko realizing that the strange woman sitting next to her in the onsen is extremely attractive?" he asked, flipping another page.

"No- wait, what?" Sakura turned red at what she just heard. Kakashi kept on reading, not even looking at his student. Sakura sighed. She was pretty sure Junko or whoever was more interesting to listen to than her flat-chested genin self but this was bordering on insane. And if she wasted more time talking to Kakashi, Takehana would be mad.

"Okay, sensei, I was eavesdropping on two men who work for Gato near the docks today and they mentioned that Gato's wrist was broken by two rogue ninjas he had hired. Oh and Gato wants to get rid of them. Have fun reading your smut."

And with that, Sakura left, leaving Kakashi to the wonders of same-sex attraction in hot springs.

"Maa, maa, of course I wil- wait, _what_?"

Sakura could hear Inner howling with laughter.

* * *

"So Gato is injured and will eventually dispose of his hired ninja? Zabuza is alive and that hunter-nin is working for him and he broke Gato's wrist?"

"Yep."

"Excellent work, Sakura." Takehana said while pouring tea into her cup.

They were to be there only briefly today. Takehana was to take her around the village for some reconnaissance and tomorrow they would work on making the poisons work. Sakura took the cup and shook it gently, watching the tea leaves swirl in a spiral. The intense Takehana of last night had been replaced by a serene one.

She had already filled on the woman on the details of the fight between her sensei and the nukenin. There seemed to be a flicker of interest on the woman's face as she described the Sharingan and her two teammates. Sakura almost thought the woman was chuckling when she told her of the accidental kiss the two shared during team assignments.

It was very weird, given the intensity of yesterday and sober task ahead of her that today felt like such a light-hearted day. The only time Takehana had given Sakura a fright was when they set out to stake out the ship Gato lived on and Sakura saw Takehana do a _henge_ without handseals. Sakura immediately started asking questions about that which were shut down with Takehana admitting that only she could that skill. It did add to the list of questions Sakura had about the woman, though. If she wasn't a shinobi, how could she _henge_?

"That's the ship." Takehana disguised herself as a younger woman, though a very shabbily dressed poor one. Sakura looked like an eight-year with tattered clothing. Sakura quickly assessed the guard on the ship. While most of the people looked like non-shinobi bandits, it didn't mean they wouldn't be hard to bypass when killing Gato.

"The problem with shinobi," Takehana told her, "is that they are too noticeable for what they claim to do. This can be done with a small maid pouring an unnoticeable poison into her master's food or drink and then slipping away before anyone noticed. Poisons can be very dramatic and can also be very unnoticeable, only wreaking havoc months after ingestion. You do not need complicated techniques to kill a person, but you need them to battle one."

Sakura had never heard the distinction between the two made. She supposed Takehana was right. She had noticed during the fight that Zabuza had several chances to kill them quickly and without a fuss. But he didn't take them, preferring to battle them outright. And while the battle-style fit her romantic notions of ninja life more, the practical part of Sakura felt that the sneaky, secretive techniques were more befitting a shinobi when they wanted to get the job done.

Both women had noticed that the ship was mainly frequented by a few groups of people; mercenaries, prostitutes, and servers. Sakura outright refused to disguise herself as a prostitute because that was something she was not ready for. Mercenaries wouldn't be able to get to Gato. A simple servant girl would be the best path to take out the man.

"Try it out for a few minutes."

Sakura stared at Takehana in confusion. They were not too close to the ship, but close enough that they could see the boards that let people on board.

"You've seen what the cleaning girls who go on board where. _Henge_ and scrub the floors for thirty minutes. Map out what you can." Sakura was about to open her mouth to say that no, she was not ready to take this much of a risk but the memory of how Takehana had told her off last night was fresh. She made the seal for _henge_ and out popped a plain, slightly chubby teen girl. Takehana waved her off and Sakura approached the docks.

"Ah, you must be one of the nightshift cleaning girls. Go on ahead." said the burly man who was guarding the entrance. Sakura's stomach developed butterflies as she boarded the ship. If she got caught she could be in so much trouble. Part of her wondered if she could ever share this adventure with Sasuke-kun and Naruto. Surely her infiltrations were cool (though she knew the boys like flashy bang-bang battles more than disguised kunoichi scrubbing floors in enemy territory for thirty minutes).

Upon boarding some strict matronly type of woman yelled at her for being late and told her to go wash the bathroom. Sakura's nose crinkled at the chore considering she hated doing things like this at home, why did she have to do it on missions? But as she passed corridor after corridor, the layout of the ship became clearer. Gato's suite was, thankfully near the edges of the ship and not submerged in water. According to the directions the head cleaning woman had given her Gato's suites were large enough to touch two porthole windows and three large clear windows, allowing her that option of entrance if she wanted. Sakura made sure to ask Kakashi later if the tree climbing exercise could be done with hands.

Soon the toilet bowl in one bathroom had been cleaned and Sakura took advantage of an open window to escape and hide herself with _Kirigakure no Justu_.

* * *

What Sakura hadn't counted on was being questioned publicly by Kakashi-sensei at dinner. Blushing, Sakura admitted that she was training to sharpen her skills and realized that since Gato was gunning for Tazuna, she thought that perhaps they could find out when they'd be attacked next. Kakashi's expression was unreadable but Naruto's whoops of "Sakura-chan's so cool!" were enough to make her smile at her dinner of roasted fish.

"Sensei, heeey, sensei. You think Sasuke and I can go do some reconséance? Can we? Can we?"

"Dobe, it's called reconnaissance." Sasuke added, looking down at his food. Sakura couldn't tell what he thought of her escapades but it was his approval she wanted more than anything. But the normally stoic boy didn't seem to care and just grunted when she offered to show them to the area where the underlings could be found.

"Ah, but Sasuke and you haven't seemed to make it on top of your trees yet."

"Aww, come on." groaned Naruto, leaning back with his head on his hands. He gave Sasuke a shifty look while Sasuke smirked at him. Sakura frowned at this. Of course in an outside mission people would grow closer, but she had been so busy with her secret training sessions that it took only a few days for her to feel left out. Angry at being left out again, she accidentally snapped her chopsticks.

Sighing, Sakura thanked Tsunami for the meal and left the table early. Perhaps she could do some training exercise before bed.

Kakashi's eye followed his strange little genin as she left the room. They say it took a c-rank for you to truly grasp your students and his were an odder bunch than he thought. Sakura's strategic thinking was of notable interest to him, apparently her profile hadn't lied in that aspect either.

But he could see the girl's frustration. She wasn't as good at fighting as the other two, but hell, it looked like she was trying. He also noticed that she hadn't yet disturbed Sasuke by asking him on date, which was good, since that meant that most her focus was somewhere else. But it wasn't like he hadn't noticed the jealous looks she had shot Naruto and Sasuke. Apparently by singling her out from them, he'd made a little gap between his one female student and his two boys.

Kakashi sighed and closed his book. Some teamwork exercises were needed. Preferably on Sasuke's part, Naruto was usually more than willing to do anything with Sakura. Plus, he needed to focus on the fact that Zabuza and his hunter-nin were still alive and apparently angry with their employer.

"Sasuke, take a break from tree-climbing tonight and see if you help Sakura with her aim." Two intensely black eyes were glaring at him. Kakashi merely avoided the Uchiha's gaze and looked back at his book. After five minutes Sasuke gave up and went outside.

* * *

Sasuke left the house to find Sakura attempting to climb the trees with her hands.

"What are you doing?"

Sakura hadn't heard him come up and slid down.

"Oww!"

No, Sakura was not going to rub her butt in pain in front of Sasuke. She'd sooner die of embarrassment. Sasuke looked annoyed.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun. I was just curious to see if we can stick to the trees the same way with hands."

Sakura found that while it was possible, it was really hard. For one thing, she couldn't raise her hand while climbing, leaving her to mimic the motions of a climbing lizard. When she did raise her hand and apply chakra to stick to it again, it caused the bark to crack and the tree to go inwards. Now that was exciting in itself because that meant that more chakra in her hands meant more force, but that wasn't what she needed now. Of course, chakra-enhanced punches were very useful and Sakura couldn't wait to try them out, but once again, not useful in this case. Sasuke wasn't sure of what to really make of how excited his teammate looked at the idea of trying to climb trees differently than the already sufficient way she already had.

"Why?"

Sakura shrugged.

"It's just interesting to see how it works. Feet are hard to get chakra into. Hands are easier but harder to maneuver. I guess I like chakra control." Sasuke stared at her for a second.

"Hn."

It was at this point that Sakura realized that she was alone with Sasuke and actually having a conversation with him that didn't involve her asking him for a date only to be rejected, him calling her useless, or mission details. A blush spread immediately on her face. Whether Sasuke noticed her face in the dark or not didn't matter because he broke her out of her stupor anyway.

"Sensei wants me to help you improve your aim."

"Oh."

Sakura's happiness deflated a bit. While spending time with Sasuke was nice, it would have been nicer if he came to her because he wanted to, not because Kakashi ordered him too. The few times she had "caught up" with Ino, which was more bickering than catching up, Ino had mentioned their many "team things" and Sakura felt jealous. The frequent barbeque dinners, the earrings, all of this made Sakura jealous. What did Team 7 do together outside of sessions?

Nothing, except occasionally plot to unmask Kakashi.

The blush didn't go away as Sasuke handed her some shuriken and walked with her to a part of the forest where trees surrounded them completely.

Sasuke took out seven kunai and gestured to the five trees surrounding them in a ring. Sakura's eyebrows raised as looked at him preparing to do something. A gasp left her lips as he jumped up high and let five kunai in the air. Three headed for the direction of their respective trees but two were off course until Sasuke turned and sent two more kunai at them, knocking their trajectory and making sure the kunai were able to reach spots behind him as well. The glinting of flying kunai in the night sky was beautiful and Sakura's mouth opened in wonder.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered to him, "That was so cool." Sasuke didn't say anything to her as he landed on the ground, eyes showing his mind somewhere distant. His fist tightened suddenly and Sakura looked away, unsure of what to do. There were times when Sasuke seemed unfocused and spaced out, but they were rare. Sakura had only noticed those times because she had been so attentive to Sasuke and she always felt that like his mind, his heart was somewhere else and not with the world.

Settling for leaving Sasuke to his demons, if he had any, Sakura decided to try the shurikenjutsu he had just performed. It was pretty amazing to have watched that but Sakura was sure it was more of a demonstration than anything. It wouldn't hurt to try. She knew her aim wasn't the, generally because she had slower reflexes.

Sakura took out seven kunai from her pouch and jumped in the air as well, sending five kunai flying around her. Within a few seconds she let two fly from her hands. One missed the kunai it was intended for entirely and the other only knocked the kunai off the path slightly, missing the tree. Sakura grimaced. She didn't expect to get the technique right on the first try but it seemed sad to her that even the straight forward kunai hadn't been dead on.

"You're slow and take too long to react to things." Sasuke said, startling her. His hands were in his pockets as he came up to the trees to take back his kunai. Sakura nodded, grimace turning into a frown. Sasuke was right about that. How foolish it must have been to want some approval from her crush when her aim was this bad. She peeked out at him through the curtains of her bangs.

"We should sharpen your reflexes." The boy positioned the kunai through the creases of his fingers, letting them fly from his hands instantly. Sakura did a cartwheel to the side to dodge them, but Sasuke kept projectiles coming.

Sometime later, Sakura was sitting on the floor, cuts and scrapes on her. Regardless of the damage, she wore a small grin as she looked up at Sasuke, not as winded as her but noticeably tired. Eventually she had begun sending kunai and shuriken back at her teammate when he was open between throws. This led to a more intense session of training, with both running out of pointy things to throw at each other. Sasuke had grabbed a kunai from the ground and ran at her. While she managed to mostly get out of Sasuke and his kunai's way, the other genin was too skilled and too finely trained to not hit her.

And that's how Sakura ended up exhausted on the ground with a split lip. But Sasuke was sporting a bruise or two as well, once it turned into an impromptu sparring session.

Sasuke looked at her for a second before walking up to Sakura and offering her a hand up. She took it without hesitation; a little stunned he had done that. Inner was doing some war dance of "he's mine!" in her head, but all Sakura could think of was that Sasuke had been kind to _her_.

"Thanks." She grinned at him, split lip and eyes creasing. When she opened them she saw that Sasuke was already walking away. An exhausted but happy Sakura caught up to him.

* * *

**Author's Notes Part 2:**

I have a couple things I could have added to this chapter but they were, well, too large. So next chapter, as a sneak peek, you'll see an actual fight scene. Of course it'll be a spar, but we'll be able to see Sakura use her brain and few new skills in combat. Exciting, yeah?

So a couple of things to note before I go on explaining some things in this chapter.

1. Kunoichi in Naruto are definitely used for infiltration more than combat. Whether that's just some latent sexism in the world or not, it's still a given that female ninja aren't expected to be combat monsters. Looking at people like Mei and, heck, Tsunade, we know this isn't really true, you know, except for the fact that the supposed main female character in the manga was sort of just forgotten about by Kishimoto and once in a while he's like, _oh, wait, Sakura exists. _Never mind that, but yeah, Sakura is going to be making use of that in the future, especially when it comes to things that could be solved easily without needless battles.

2. Machin is a poison and well known and sometimes used in herbal Asian medicine. However, it would usually grow in places like Southern China and India because it needs a warmer climate. Considering that the Wave has mangroves that generally don't grow in Japan because of climate reasons, it stands to reason that the Land of the Waves has a warmer climate than the mainland and thus things like _Nux Vomica, _also known the Strychnine tree would grow there. Strychnine poisoning is one of the most painful poisons, and very much "dramatic" in how it kills someone. Takehana obviously wants to make a statement. The _torikabuto _mentioned in this chapter is another very known poison named Aconite, or Wolf's Bane. This is basically what Kabuto is named after.**  
**

3. Looking up poisons is hella fun, 20/10 should do this. So much interesting history 3.

4. **Still no pairings,** but hey, at this point in canon Sakura still creams her leggings for Sasuke, Naruto has a crush on Sakura, and Sasuke cries over family photos at night when he thinks no one is looking. So I intend to keep it that way for a little while longer.

5._ Henge_ is a low-level technique taught in Academy for disguise purposes. I'm sure Naruto's Sexy Jutsu is this. Sakura's dealing with low-level mercs with no skill in the ninja arts so she can pretty much henge and not get caught based on appearance alone. If she did something ninja-like, she'd be caught.

And that's it for this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it and found Sakura's feelings on things realistic. She's pretty naïve when it comes to the nit-grit of Shinobi life and getting into Takehana's messes has just made her face the reality that she could kill someone to protect her own. Of course, Sakura never asked the most important question of Takehana. Can any you guess this question? That's this chapter's cookie challenge.

**Thanks for reading and please leave your thoughts!**


	3. Spars, Strength, and Scrolls

Title: Look at Me Now

Rating: T, M eventually

Summary: Strange old people in caves are generally to be avoided in the fairy-tales Sakura has grown up reading. But the offer of training from one old lady in a cave in the Land of the Waves not only makes Sakura throw caution to the wind, but teaches her that power comes to those who seize it. Strong!Sakura

Chapter 3 Word Length: 6, 704

AN: Wow, this was finished fast. I'm going to not update for a few days to give myself time to focus on schoolwork and readers some time to review, if they want. Also, this is literally the first time I have ever written a fight scene. Ever. So yeah, I definitely need feedback considering next chapter is the fight on the bridge. Only two more chapters until we are done with the Land of Waves, aren't you excited?

Some of you have commented about Takehana being scary. Well, she is. With this chapter she may seem quite overpowered, but remember that her role in our story will come to a close for now until much, much later soon. This chapter really serves to show more of Sakura's development as we head towards the climax of the Wave arc. Also Team 7. I'll talk about Sakura's development in the other AN, but for now I'll leave with you the songs for this chapter.

Fight scene:

**Hiji Suru Style** - Force of Nature ft. SuikenSword

**Breakthrough** - Jespy

**Day 1** – Ta-Ku

* * *

**Chapter III: Spars, Strength, and Scrolls**

* * *

On the fifth day since their training had begun, Sakura woke up feeling sore. She'd been training harder recently and that was starting to make her feel sluggish. She did some stretches before hopping in the shower and getting ready to escort Tazuna to the bridge.

"Yo."

Sakura looked up at Kakashi the moment she left her room.

"How did it go last night?" Sakura blanked out for a moment before realizing her sensei was asking about aim training with Sasuke. Blushing at how nice everything was last night (and the thought of Sasuke) Sakura murmured well and pointed to her healing split lip and bruises. Kakashi eye smiled.

"I was curious because Sasuke has a bit of a shiner on his cheek."

Sakura blushed even harder at that. It had been a lucky shot when Sasuke was caught off guard by one of her kicks. Of course he immediately retaliated with a punch to her mouth.

"Luck, I guess."

Kakashi stopped eye-smiling.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, self-doubt isn't a good thing you know. You're capable enough to take on the boys. Why don't you try sparring with Naruto tonight after dinner? He needs a break from tree-climbing." Kakashi suggested in a friendly manner.

Sakura felt just a tiny prick of discomfort as Kakashi told her she was capable of taking on the boys. Sasuke was so quick and skilled that she had gotten her ass handed to her with him only using taijutsu. And Naruto had endless stamina. Sakura generally felt drained just by looking at him, much less fighting him.

Kakashi must have noticed her discomfort because was now ruffling her light pink hair, causing it to flatten against her face.

"You can do it. You have to figure out how to win."

It was at that moment that the door to Sasuke and Naruto's room opened, with Naruto looking out.

"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan!" The blond bounced to them.

"Morning." Kakashi raised his hand before poking Sakura forward.

"Sakura has something she wants to tell you, Naruto."

Naruto's face dropped for a second before lighting up like someone stuffed a lantern in it.

"Really? What's up Sakura-chan?" The loudness of his voice attracted Sasuke, who poked his head out of the door to tell Naruto he was being too loud.

Glaring at her sensei and his darned meddling, Sakura huffed. "Naruto, want to spar tonight? You and me, all our ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu allowed."

Whatever Naruto had been expecting at that point it had not been that at all. His grin faltered for one second before grinning even harder. Sasuke just looked confused.

"Sure, Sakura-chan. Just don't expect me to go easy on you 'cuz you're a girl."

Sakura met him with a confident expression. "Wasn't even planning on it."

Kakashi's eye smile was back as he told them that he would be the referee between the two this time.

* * *

Sakura sat in the cave, grinding Machin seeds into power. It had been a peaceful day, much more than the other two. Takehana had given her a firsthand course in poisons and their uses and Sakura was a little impressed.

Even though they were shinobi, when poison was taught in school the instructors tended to treat it as a bit of a cowardly weapon. She was sure it wasn't so in other ninjas, but the Leaf's Will of Fire very much emphasized heroic actions, or so Sakura felt. That and the boys generally didn't learn about poisons, or infiltration for that matter. Those were generally '_kunoichi_' skills. Takehana had snorted when she grumbled about that, saying the idea that poison was a 'female weapon' and the disdain towards anything feminine was nothing new.

But Sakura discovered that learning about plants and what they could do to your body was pretty fascinating, more so than the _ikebana _classes she had in the Academy. She resolved herself to also look into botany when she came back to Konoha.

"Apply a little pressure Sakura, it must be finely ground." Takehana instructed. The serenity of yesterday seemed to have stayed with Takehana and Sakura hadn't been as frightened of her as she had the night when Takehana told her she was to kill Gato. Privately Sakura thought it might be because the woman had sensed how distraught she had her. In any case, Takehana seemed more reserved today as their usual sundown tea boiled.

The machin was now a grayish powder with no odor and apparently colorless when in water. Handing the mortar and pestle to Takehana, Sakura took a cup of tea for herself as she watched Takehana examine her student's work.

"Well done. Have you thought of the ways you can get him to ingest it?"

Sakura bit her lip. Earlier today as she had watched the mist around Gato's ship an idea came that would require her to both climb up the ship's side and remain undetected and then perform _Kirigakure no Jutsu,_ but it was a long shot.

"Well, the machin is a poison that doesn't have to be ingested, right?"

"Correct."

Sakura fiddled with her cup. She didn't want to let down Takehana with this jutsu, especially since she didn't know if it would work.

"I was thinking… You see I have a ninjutsu that takes my chakra and nearby water and manipulates it into a fine mist which I can use to conceal myself and disperse at the same time. But I need a source of water for it. I was thinking that maybe I can use the machin as a liquid poison and use it to send a mist through Gato's room, filling it with poison air."

Takehana gave her a wide smile.

"How delightfully deadly."

Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine.

"That's the point but the problem is making sure he doesn't see the mist and realize something is wrong, Plus, I'm not sure I can manage to stick to the ship and do a jutsu. If I can observe it happening, perhaps it couldn't wo-"

"Done. Come with me, I shall try this out with another poison."

Takehana was up so fast that Sakura didn't realize what has happening as Takehana grabbed a flask of poison and dragged Sakura out the cave. They disguised themselves with a _henge_ as Takehana led her to an area near the harbors. Sakura hadn't seen this shabby building before, but she could guess why. It seemed that while there was little opportunity for employment on the island, the mercenaries Gato kept hiring were frequent visitors to the brothel. Sakura could see why Tazuna never came near here; it was a depressing sight seeing the faces of the woman who stood outside of the brothel. The prostitutes in Konoha never looked half as miserable.

Suddenly, they heard a commotion. A huge man who looked to be made of muscle had left the brothel, followed by a screeching prostitute.

"You didn't pay!" The woman's dress was falling off her shoulder, it looked like she hastily tried to put it on while chasing after the customer. Several bruises were seen on her neck and tear-stained face. Sakura clenched her fist at the sight but was stopped by a hand of Takehana's as they watched the scene unfold from an alley.

Takehana removed the cap from the flask they had, using her chakra to draw out the liquid inside from it. Her hands positively glowed with chakra of a strange light blue color. Sakura had never seen anyone have this type of visible chakra before. It felt much purer than other chakra as well.

Takehana smiled as she drew the liquid into a bubble and without any visible handseals made it into a small ball of thin mist. The man had knocked the prostitute out cold on the ground and was heading towards the harbor. Still holding the compressed ball of mist, Takehana and Sakura followed him silently into another alley where he turned around.

"Who the hell are you and why are yo-"

Takehana didn't give him the chance to speak as she dispersed the mist ball into mist so fine it couldn't be seen. Within seconds the man was choking up blood on the ground and Takehana waved her hands to disperse the jutsu. Still under _henge_, Sakura watched the loathing in Takehana's eyes as she knelt down to touch his neck to check for a pulse.

"Such scum. This world has enough filth in it without the likes of him adding to the refuse." Her hands went into the man's robe and pulled out a pouch. She threw it to Sakura and the Konoha genin could hear the distinct jingle of coins inside.

"Give it to the prostitute he beat. I'm sorry, Sakura, but that is all the time we have for today. Good luck with your spar and don't disappoint me with the result, alright?" The _henge_ dropped and Takehana gave her a cool little smile. Sakura, more stunned than anything, gave a glance to the dead man in front of her.

"What's going to happen to him?"

The smile Takehana had given her in the cavern was back.

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

Sakura was very shaken by what had transpired earlier. There had been little pity for the man Takehana killed, especially after Sakura had dropped off the pouch to the prostitutes crowding around the beaten woman, who had blood running down her face and dress. But how ruthless her teacher had been, not even _regretting it_. It was a different scene from Kakashi, who fought to protect his students. It was a cold-blooded murder.

But it was the feel of the chakra that Sakura had been most perplexed by. It didn't feel like her own chakra, like Sasuke's, or Kakashi's. Naruto's came closer, but only because of how dense it was, not the feel of it. Sakura didn't even think she was cut out to be a sensor but she could tell that Takehana's chakra was not natural in the slightest. Whatever she had done to get such chakra, it probably explained how ruthless the old woman was.

The strange woman Sakura had discovered in the cave had become an endless curiosity for Sakura, one that she both feared and admired. The Ninja World had much to be thankful that Takehana had never decided to become a shinobi; she would have been fierce indeed.

She ate her dinner silently, very aware that Naruto and Sasuke were staring at her. With the incident by the harbor, Sakura had forgotten that she was supposed to spar with her teammate. Since she had barely used her chakra that day, it wasn't like she was tired, just too shaken. Would Gato end up like that on the floor, choking and dead? What would Sakura feel after killing him?

"Hey, Sakura-chan?" Sakura looked up from her rice bowl.

"Don't forget, I'm going to defeat you today." Her blond teammate grinned across the table. Naruto's smiles were usually infuriating but after the events today she felt a little relieved at the sight of it. Things could happen and Naruto would still smile, after all.

'**Yeah, right! Let's show him what we are capable of and kick his ass!'**

Inner's cries of confidence gave Sakura the bit of fire she needed to meet Naruto's face with a gaze of confidence. After all, Kakashi and Takehana both told her that she could beat Naruto and all she had to do was prove that to her teammates. Naruto was still grinning at her so she slammed her hand on the table, making some the plates jump. Naruto stopped grinning immediately.

"Sorry _Naruto-kun_, I'm going to stomp you flat."

"Heh." Sasuke chuckled quietly to the side as he watched his two teammates begin staring each other down. He'd never seen Sakura this motivated or Naruto this intense about a fight unless with him or Kakashi. Maybe it was just how forward Sakura had been with this fight. She never seemed to want to spar with either of them. Which, considering Naruto's sounds of pain every time she was angry at him, was strange because she could hit hard enough. She was still so weak, as Sasuke discovered during their spar, but she wasn't hopeless. Not that he'd ever tell her that. She'd stop all her training and bother him about a date again.

Team 7 and their client's family quickly shuffled outside to see the match.

* * *

Traditional Shinobi Sparring, or _Dentōteki no Shinobi Kumite_, was a traditional dating to the Warring States Period from before the founding of the first shinobi village, Konohagakure. Some people even whispered that the Sage of the Six Paths had created the protocol for it when wanting to make a formal way for two friendly parties to test their mettle against one another, not intending it to be anything but a peaceful spar. This was rumor of course, just another one of the preposterous myths that people attributed to this man, like the idea he created the moon.

Whatever the origin, the rules were widespread and breaking them was rude. Sakura had remembered the stir it had caused when Naruto and Sasuke had sparred in their academy times without making "Seal of Reconciliation" after the battle ended. It was a strange honor among shinobi.

Kakashi had put his book away for the minute as he came up to Sakura and Naruto facing each other. Tazuna's family were sitting a good distance away on a blanket underneath a tree, the same one Sasuke was relaxing on top of. It was a mostly quiet night, the only sound being the crickets and the soft bubbling of the stream nearby.

"Hey Sakura-chan? If I win, will you call me Naruto-kun like you do for the bastard?" Sakura could swear she heard Kakashi snort as he came out of the shadows and out away his book.

"Alright," started Kakashi, "You two probably know the rules: Use what you can, no killing or gravely wounding people. Loser is the first to forfeit, or when I step in and choose one." The Copy-Nin walked between them and cut the air between them in a signal. Serious green eye met ever-laughing blue ones as both participants bowed and made the Seal of Confrontation while gathering chakra for their first moves.

"Begin!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" called out Naruto immediately. Sakura frowned. Naruto depended on that jutsu and no wonder, it was very useful and something people their age generally couldn't do to lack of chakra and lack of control. Yet Naruto was able to make of these clones like it was nothing.

'**All that chakra and it's wasted on him' **

Despite not liking Inner's tone, she wouldn't lie about the fact that she was jealous of Naruto's reserves, especially when going up against a spar. It would be impossible to wear him out in a spar because she'd be the one who caved in first. For now Sakura needed a vantage point, somewhere he couldn't reach her easily.

The clones charged forward before Sakura could plan out her ideas any further and she set to dodging. Naruto's style was less finesse and more street brawls in the alleyways. Sakura's was the basic Academy style, balanced but predictable. She blocked several punches from the clones (and Naruto somewhere amongst them), leaving two clones open to be kicked by her in the stomach. One dispelled immediately and the other was sent back. This did little to stop the barrage of clones being sent her way.

One lucky fist punched her in the face, sending her back. There was no blood but a dull, aching pain in her cheek promising a magnificent bruise.

'_Damn it. There's too many of them and they keep getting closer. I need something to get them away.'_

A few of the clones that were farther back threw kunai at her. An idea flicking in Sakura's mind was put into place as she got her explosive tags out and performed a quick kawarimi.

A poof later and she could see a bunch of Naruto clones staring at the mossy log she switched with. They were scarcely able to blink before Sakura, off in the distance, released the chakra in the exploding tags she put on the back of the mossy log and watched the log explode in the clones face. Three more clones poofed out of existence, leaving at least a dozen and an opening for Sakura to run for the river.

One of the Narutos who hadn't been dispelled or hurt by the force of the blast headed towards her, fist cocked back. Flipping a timed explosive kunai in her hand, she pivoted back to send one at him, releasing it just as he dodged the kunai. The Naruto who had been given chase was knocked aside a few feet away before whining at her.

"No fair, Sakura-chan, you keep trying to blow me up." The Naruto rubbed its head as it stood up again, now joined by four more of the orange-wearing genin. Sakura quickly made sure that the other Naruto clones were farther back before running to the river. The water wasn't deep enough to conceal any clones well but enough to make fighting her a hassle. Sakura landed on the water with a flourish, skating to the side. Some of the clones looked like she'd, well,_ literally walked on water_. Sakura sent her teammate a wink as one of the Narutos turned back to yell at Kakashi for not teaching him this.

Kakashi looked up from his perch and shrugged.

"She learned that by herself." The Naruto clones snapped back to look at her but all they saw was…

_Mist._

Sakura clasped her hands in the Tiger seal, releasing more and more water through it. This technique would take a bit of her chakra, but Sakura didn't have many techniques anyway. She couldn't beat Naruto in taijutsu, ninjutsu was too chakra-draining and she didn't know any good offensive ones, and while she could fight off genjutsu, she didn't know any to cast.

Even against Naruto, the odds were extremely against her. She, the top Kunoichi in the class, despite only beating Ino barely for the place, was going to lose to the Academy's deadlast. Sakura bit her lip at how unfunny this was. The day she met Takehana she'd acknowledged that she wanted to get stronger but even though it felt that she learned so much in the past few days, here she was in the same position again.

The mist was thick and spread out enough that the clones were unable to see each other or her for that matter.

"Hey, where'd she go?" mumbled a clone.

"I bet Sakura's hiding among us with _henge_ to confuse us." Sakura, who had been taking advantageof the mist and the trees nearby to tree-walk up to a branch Naruto generally couldn't reach (she hoped), facepalmed. And almost punched herself in the face when she heard the heated rhetoric amongst the clones begin anew.

'**That idiot!'**

'_He fell for this with Kakashi too. Wow, Naruto, don't you ever learn?'_

Safely secure far up, Sakura watched as smoke pile after smoke pile poured through the thick mist., which was spreading thinner with every minute. Giggling for a moment, she waited till Naruto began dispersing all his clones before sending several kunai and shuriken down at him.

_'I have only one chance to do this.'_

With the mist clearing, Naruto's eye sight would have no doubt begun helping him dodge the projectiles. Sakura merely did what she and Sasuke practiced the night before, praying that this time one of the kunais would land where wanted. The second set of projectiles hit the earlier ones, making Naruto unable to dodge one particular kunai. It him in the arm, provoking a yelp of pain from her teammate.

"First blood is yours."

Sakura nearly fell on the tree when she heard Kakashi speak behind her. She turned around to stare at him as he waved and eye-smiled at her. Sakura couldn't even yell at him for startling her when Naruto started yelling for her come out and fight him like a man.

Not sure whether to keep hidden or go throttle him for that comment, Sakura decided to send another shuriken to show him that she was hiding in a tree. Naruto finally looked up at her as she grinned and waved down at him, mist completely gone by this point. Naruto started sputtering as he saw how high up she was and pointed a shaking finger at her.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei, are you sure that's not cheating or anything, because I don't know if I can make it that high up yet."

Kakashi, still behind her, stuck his neck out so Naruto could see him and waved his hand off.

"Now, now, Naruto, think of this as training. Now you have incentive to reach the top."

Sakura leaned a little forward to stick her tongue out at Naruto for added effect.

"Hey, _Naruto-chan_, you can always give up you know. I'm sure if you can make it up the big scawwy tree you can forfeit and admit defeat and all will be right again." Her teasing tone, stuck out tongue, and the _chan_ added to his name had the desired effect as Naruto cringed and stop pointing his finger at her.

"No way! I'll make it up, you better believe it! And I'm winning this fight and taking you down!" Naruto yelled confidently at her. Sakura sat back and smiled down at him.

'**He's never gonna make it.'**

'_We'll see. Naruto's one of those ninja that keep on surprising you.'_

"Good luck with him, Sakura." Kakashi told her softly as he jumped off to go sit with Sasuke and the rest. Sakura nodded and pushed her hair back, something she did when she wanted to think with no distractions. Thankfully, despite Naruto's wails of anguish and pumped up shouts, he still wasn't able to make it this high up, and Sakura had gone nearly to the top for that reason. It gave her a long bit of time to think about how she could win this without having to engage him in the process. Thinking in combat wasn't that smart and Sakura wasn't good enough to do it.

'_Yet.'_

Promising herself that her shortcomings in combat were going to change very, very soon, Sakura looked around the area for something she could use. Close-combat was still a no due to her deficiencies with nin and taijutsu. No genjutsu. She could send a couple of kunai at him again, but that wouldn't work well.

"_You do not need complicated techniques to kill a person, but you need them to battle one."_

Sakura remembered Takehana's words and suddenly an idea came to mind. It was risky but, heck, maybe she could pull it off. One more quick glance at climbing Naruto and then she set to work, bringing her hands in for some seals.

* * *

Naruto was not having the best day. Sure, he improved a great deal over the past few days but it seemed that chakra control was something he'd particularity had a difficulty in doing because even Sasuke was doing better than him. He'd followed Sakura's advice to the letter, but he couldn't make it to the top yet, and even though he could reach more than a dozen and a half-feet up, after that, his control started slipping and he kept falling. The worse of it was that Sakura had picked a very tall tree.

He looked up at her again, watching her smile as she waved down at him, pink hair shrouding an unusually happy face. While normally he would feel elation at such a look directed at him, and he had to admit she was really pretty when happy, this was not the occasion he'd been hoping to see Sakura smile at him at. He was supposed to be able to win this spar and possibly get her to think him cool enough that she'd go on a date with him to Ichiraku, and then, and then, his coolness factor would make him respected by everyone so much that Old Man Hokage would have to resign and give him th-

Wait, what was he doing again? Naruto slid down further as his focus went into his daydreams, pulling him away from smiling Sakura. It was simply unfair that she could do this to him. He'd almost had her on the ground, since Sakura wasn't a really good hand-to-hand fighter, but then she pulled the fact she _could freaking walk on water out of nowhere_ and then that mist thing of Zabuza's. Naruto would have been whooping for joy if it wasn't used against him. He did want to know where she learned it.

He didn't expect her to be able to hit with a kunai either, but he'd been too distracted with dodging it to realize she made it change the trajectory. That was a pretty neat trick he was sure she learned from Sasuke, he did fancy shit like that all the time. It wasn't like Naruto was happy that she could get this far with him, even being able to hit him with a kunai, but he could feel some respect for what his teammate was trying to do with this match.

'_Sakura-chan's really smart. She's probably up there thinking of a way to win this match without actually fighting me.'_

It wasn't the kind of match he liked to fight, relishing in an all out brawl like he had with Sasuke sometimes, but there was something he could really respect in how she thought things out. Didn't mean Naruto wasn't really pissed as he landed on his ass on the ground again.

"Dobe, maybe you should give up." Sasuke finally spoke the first time since the match began. A quick glance at the bastard made it clear that he was highly amused at the fact Naruto had been trying to get up the tree for ten minutes.

'_Che, as if he can do better.'_

"Maybe you should shut up, teme!"

"Make me."

"THAT'S IT! ONCE I KICK SAKURA'S BUTT, I'M KICKING YOUR ASS TEME!"

"Don't count on it." That wasn't Sasuke's voice, that was-

Naruto was slammed on the ground by a viciously grinning Sakura who had somehow walked down the tree without him noticing. He was about pull himself to go return her slam when he realized she thrown two kunai into the fabric of his jacket, effectively pinning him to the ground. Not only that, but as he saw her make the seal for "release" he noticed that they were explosive kunai. Oh shit.

"Naruto?" She smiled down at him, still holding her hands in position. Naruto's mouth wriggled in distaste for a second before sighing.

"Okay, I give up." And he laid his head flat on the ground to see that there was still a Sakura up in the trees.

"Wait, how?"

Sakura struck a victorious pose with two fingers in a V symbol in the air before explaining her method.

"I knew I couldn't beat you face to face, so I devised a way to distract into a position where you would have to forfeit. I left a normal bunshin up there knowing you couldn't tell the difference and then quietly climbed down the other side of the tree while you tried to get up. Then you started with Sasuke so I decided to reveal myself and slam you on the ground and pin you to an explosive kunai so you gave up."

Naruto chuckled as the smiling Sakura-chan high up in the trees disappeared. Kakashi finally appeared to pronounce Sakura as the winner (due to clever outmaneuvering). Sakura bent down to take back her two kunai and help Naruto up.

The two stared at each other, with Naruto's hands behinds his back to give the impression that her win didn't mean much to him.

"Well, I guess that was a cool win." He popped on eye open to watch her reaction. Surprisingly she wasn't mad, even though she punched him lightly in the non-injured shoulder.

"Whatever, _Naruto-chan_."

They stuck out their hands and entwined fingers together in the Seal of Reconciliation, ending the battle as friends.

* * *

Due to Naruto being Naruto, he decided to refocus his efforts on climbing the tree and went back to the tree Sakura had picked out. An elated Sakura, no really Inner was still screaming, shouted yells of encouragement as Sasuke, Tazuna, and Tsunami went up to congratulate her. Well, Tazuna's family congratulated her; Sasuke just stood around and looked cool.

The now familiar ruffling of her hair was felt again as Kakashi patted it. Strangely enough, he'd been right that she could take the boys on. Despite her inadequacies in many forms of combat, she'd won and she wasn't going to let anyone take that feeling of accomplishment away from. A small part of her really wanted Sasuke to say something to her, anything, but Sakura was pretty content basking in her win as she was. A few minutes later and she was left alone as everyone except Naruto and Sasuke went back to the house and her teammates remained to train themselves into comas. Sakura went back to the stream to wash her swollen cheek with the cool water.

With the sounds of fighting gone, it was quiet once more. Sakura kneeled by the creek to wash out her face when she heard a shuffling in the distance. The moon was bright enough that she could see something in the distance of the trees, something bright. A face popped out from behind a tree and Sakura's breathing stilled and muscles tensed at the familiar features and the elegant shape of kimono.

Takehana nodded at her and then disappeared from Sakura's line of sight, as if she had never been there. Sakura visibly relaxed at the sight of her temporary mentor being gone. She'd never thought that Takehana would come out all the way here to watch her match. Sure, she told her to win it, but it never occurred to Sakura that the woman would watch. But that nod was one of approval and Sakura felt it add to the joy she was already feeling.

* * *

Sakura's instincts told her to sneak off for a few hours to Takehana's cave to see if she had anything for Sakura to work on now that the spar was over. The win had settled Sakura's discomfort at watching Takehana kill so easily, though as usual, her feelings about the old woman were mixed due to how much of a mystery she was. But, she also wanted to seek her out for some sign that she was doing something right.

Of course she was happy with the result of the match, but with it came a yearning to be told by an adult figure that she was on the right track to strength. Kakashi merely ruffled her hair; she was sure Takehana would teach her something for showing growth. And that is why she was making her way to the cave.

Takehana was not sleeping and Sakura wasn't expecting her to be. As usual she was sitting by the fire and drinking her tea. Sakura dropped in, with Takehana scarcely nodding before the pink-haired woman took a seat across the fire from her. Takehana merely took a stick to stoke the fire and make it warmer for them both.

"I won." Sakura finally said, a bit of a happy tone in the small statement. Takehana had apparently seen the whole thing and obviously knew but it felt _so good_ to let the world know.

"I saw." There was little eye-contact, just the merry crackling of fire and wood popping from the heat. Takehana sighed as the teapot started bubbling again and finally looked up.

"What do you want? A ruffle on the head like that young man gave you? An acknowledgement of your strength like the one from the blond boy? Or should I ignore your win like the dark-haired boy you seem to fawn over?" The unusually acerbic tone from the old woman startled Sakura and she bent her head down.

"I say this because you cannot rely on others' acknowledgement for strength. You are strong because you wish to be, because you consider yourself strong. Overconfidence is as pathetic as self-doubt to me, Sakura. Honesty with one's self, but not to point where it is an excuse for not trying, is the best a person can hope for." She threw the stick into the fire.

Sakura breathed in deeply. Now that she was here, coming to Takehana's cave seemed stupid. Wasn't it just an hour ago that she told herself that she wouldn't let anyone take this win away from her? And now this woman was doing just that, as usual stripping away all that Sakura was. Sakura always felt emotionally naked around Takehana, as she was coming to realize and perhaps that was the source of the discomfort she felt. The way she easily told the woman things and dropped her guard down around her despite clear indications of danger, the enigma around her that kept persisting in her mind, and the way that Takehana saw through. As if she was clear.

Sakura wanted to defend herself. She wanted to say that she was right in wanting praise because, god damn it, she worked hard. And won despite so many opposing factors. She never felt this emotionally vulnerable, not even when Sasuke called her annoying months ago. And it hurt because she wasn't being told she was pathetic for her skills, but for her character.

Shinobi must not cry. Shinobi must not cry,

"You can cry if you wish. If you want to." Takehana must have seen how Sakura's nose was quivering, a sign of impending tears.

"But crying shows weakness. My weakness." Sakura's voice was small and unsure.

"I reiterate, Sakura, that you should stop caring what others think of you. You are young but you are growing. In your profession, the next few years will be the few you have to show you can survive. You want strength, gain it. Gain it yourself. You wanted to be able to catch up to your teammates? Do it. But know the point you are going towards will be decided by you, not by anyone else."

Sakura's eyes misted a little and she held her head between her hands. She was really a mess to be reduced to tears from just a small tongue-lashing was her only thought as she let a few tear slip through. This trip from home was a strange one, one that she couldn't really describe. On one hand she felt stronger than she had at home and on the other, she felt less secure in her place. It started with her noticing the gap between her and the rest of Team 7 and now showed up with Takehana's criticism. Perhaps it was time to stop looking at Sasuke every time she did something that she was supposed to. She _was supposed to _find ways to beat Naruto. She _was supposed to _fight back in spars against Sasuke. She _was supposed to_ find Kakashi and ask him for training. She was supposed to find ways to get stronger, to help her mission.

A fist clenched in anger as Sakura struggled against her own thoughts. The vow of pain Naruto had made back after the first attack when they left Konoha, he'd promised to not run away. Sakura's nails dug into her skin enough that they drudged up blood and she breathed through the pain, silently vowing the memory of it would remind her that she could do it.

"I am strong by my own measures."

Takehana just watched her, not reacting to the words or the small sobs.

By the time the tea cooled down, Sakura was back to normal. Her palms hurt but not enough for Sakura to look for medical attention. It was during the first cup of tea when Takehana finally spoke.

"It's past midnight. Two mornings after this one is when you will finally strike. If you kill Gato, I will reward you with this." And she took a scroll out from her kimono and showed it to her. Sakura looked at the scroll with puzzled eyes before shrugging up at Takehana.

The woman held it up to show her.

"This a summoning contract. You will find out the creature yourself, but if you dispose of Gato, I shall give it to you to sign and carry as I have no further need of it. With it you'll be able to call on summons to help you in battle and in other circumstances. "

Sakura's mouth was left ajar.

'**A summon! But scrolls like that are rare!'**

Summons were rare and very, very valuable. Most ninja never developed them as it took a tremendous amount of skill (and chakra) to summon good summons and also command them. Of course the Legendary Sannin could do it and were famous for their summoning abilities. Kakashi had mentioned he had summons once, but he hadn't summoned them. Sakura knew from Academy homework that the Hokage possessed the Monkey summoning contract.

The possibilities of what exactly Takehana held in her scroll were mouth-watering. Given the woman's love for poison, Sakura suspected something like spiders or scorpions. Of course, those would be really creepy summons but she could see the appeal in something like them. And they would strike fear on the battlefield.

It was to fantasies of summoning big ass spiders on the battlefield that Sakura bid Takehana a quiet goodnight and went off to bed. Emotionally, she was still a little stung by the old woman's harsh words, but Sakura felt it was good for her. Kakashi wasn't going to really tell her that. Sasuke was harsh but nowhere as wise and Naruto, well, she didn't think Naruto would ever put her down like that. She hoped not. Sakura looked at the quiet village she was leaving behind for Tazuna's house, wishing the mission was over. She was starting to really miss her mother and father.

* * *

The next few days went really well, with the small disturbance of Naruto ranting about meeting a "boy cuter than Sakura" and the morning of the seventh day when Naruto scared them all by almost falling off a tree. Sasuke had saved him in the nick of time. It seemed as though both boys were finally able to climb trees as well as Sakura.

Of course Sakura could practically skate on water, but she didn't feel like making either of the boys train harder.

Her sessions with Takehana had been going well too. The machin was ready and Sakura had snuck onto the ship the night after her win against Naruto to plan out her strategy. She noticed that Gato was constantly followed by two strong-looking samurai. She briefly caught their names as Zori and Waraji and they seemed to the best of Gato's men. Considering everyone that Gato hired that wasn't Zabuza and his helper seemed to be incompetent, Sakura really doubted this but felt that perhaps it would be best to avoid them. The problem was that they were usually with the bastard and Sakura didn't want to poison anyone else, both out of moral duty and just because that was downright sloppy. Somehow she'd been able to buy a gas mask in the village with her meager savings, even with the inflation in the Land of the Waves.

The best luck yet was that Gato's ship was a dark red in most places. So while she planned on climbing away from the docks, it was a small relief that she could camouflage herself if she covered her hair with the red hoodie she bought and not resort to a _henge_.

Despite everything being ready, it was hard to get rid of this premonition that something wouldn't work out as she wanted it to. That could be the fact that she and Tazuna were currently sitting on Kakashi as he was doing one-finger push ups to regain his strength and it could be the fact that Gato was planning something big.

"So, you think tomorrow Gato might try to attack the bridge?"

Sakura nodded.

"I hid around the docks again and these two drunk men were complaining about being called into work tomorrow for a surprise."

Kakashi grunted in response and left Sakura and Tazuna to worry.

"Starting tomorrow, Sasuke and Naruto will join us at the bridge. Sakura, could I ask you to stay here and watch over Tsunami and Inari for me? I don't think Zabuza will come here knowing I'm at the bridge, but Gato may try something." He paused mid-push up.

Both boys decide to hobble in earlier, supporting each other. Sakura had sighed and given them some balm Takehana had taught her to make to lessen bruising. Idiots, honestly. What if they were too beat up to fight when attacked? Then Naruto had yelled at Inari, who was a brat, and Kakashi had to calm everything down. There really was a strange tension in the air tonight.

"Yes, sensei."

The worry didn't subside with each push up Kakashi did. Every time Sakura was near him she would get the feeling that she should tell him about Takehana and Gato. There was a tiny prickle of guilt every time they discussed tactics that she was betraying him somehow. Sakura wasn't sure whether it was because she was receiving help from another teacher or whether it was the fact that Takehana was _most definitely not good news_. But the latter idea scared Sakura into silence. How disapproving would Kakashi-sensei be if he found out Sakura had foolishly made a deal with a strange woman she just met and was going to kill someone on her orders? Sakura couldn't bear think about that happening, which is why the words stayed inside, like her mouth was full of taffy instead of secrets.

Preparing for the mission that would start at dawn, Sakura went to bed early with her head filled with dreams of poisoned men and demons in the mist.

* * *

**AN Part 2:**

There you go, the last chapter before we finally get to Gato and the fight on the bridge. Sakura's been called out on her personality flaws by Takehana, who's scary, and she managed to win a spar against Naruto with her cleverness. Just pointing this out, but the databook statistics for them at this time have Naruto as the weakest in the team, not Sakura and Sakura, even now, is the highest ranked in intelligence because of her rather fabulous booksmarts. Naruto and Sasuke, however, can think on their feet.

Something I noticed with Shikamaru is that he removed himself from the battle for a second to think of a way to trap Temari. I wanted to show something like that with Sakura. If she had an opponent who could tree climb, well, it would have been over quick. And I'm sure Naruto wouldn't begrudge her the spar either. But yeah, this is where Sakura stands in combat as of now in our story, useless against most opponents, long-range, can hide herself to go plan. Her aim is improving but still, long-range.

The other thing to notice is the hints I keep giving about Takehana and Sakura's relationship. It's taken this long but Sakura's realized that making a deal with an old lady in a weird cave is not the smartest thing to do. But yet she won't tell Kakashi?

_Ikebana_ is Japanese flower-arranging. We see Ino and Sakura learning it in the Academy. That sparring hand seal I wrote of is a real thing in the manga and anime. The Sage of the Six Paths thing is just something I stuck in there for kicks.

**Cookie for this chapter is "What does Takehana's summoning scroll summon?". I'm sure one or two readers can guess it. See you next time and remember, I love reviews and I really can't get better without criticism.**


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